Radio receiving system



April 21, 1925. 1,534,719

` E. W. KELLOGG .RADIO RcEIvING SYSTEM.

` Filed` April 21. 1921 0f E@ T A DETECTOR DETECTOR A 5 J PHASE @om Tol? l., il

' PME @l Horam/ 'oz-rfc Tofafrfcra? Patented Apr, 2.1 1925. i

UNITED 'STATES PATEia'roFiu EDWARD w. KELDoeGfor scHENEcTADY, -Nnw YORK, nssrenon rro GENERAL EDEC- TRIC (`!O1lllIlE.Al.\TY, A CGRPORATION 0F NEW YORK.

RADIO RECEIVING srs-TEM. i

Application tiled April, 21, 1921. Serial No. 483,265.

l T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD 'W. KELLoGG,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Schenectady, in the .county of Schenectady,

State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Radio Receiving Systems,'of which the following is` a specification. Y

My present invention relates to radio receiving systems, andl more particularly to systems of the class in which a. plurality of widely separated receiving antennae. are connected by transmission lines to' a central receiving station.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide an improved method of operating such a system whereby an efficient reception of desired signals may be secured and the effects of disturbing influences either from nearby stations or fro'm static may be minimized. -Another objectof my invention is to provide an' improved system of the class described whereby a more efiieient reception ofldesir'ed signals may be obtained.

In order to attain the objects of my invention I provide a plurality of receiving antennae which are located at widely separated points, so chosen geographicallythat the intensity or'phase relation between the signaling impulses and disturbing influences will be dierent at the diderent points of reception. I also provide means for selectively impressing the currents received upon the receiving apparatus so that it will be possible4 to select for the desired reception the currents having the most favorable ratio between signal and disturbing influence. In addition I provide means for varying the phase and intensity of thecurrents impressed upon the receivlng apparatus so that by suitable adjustment the desired signaling currents received upon different antennae may be brought into phase or approximate phase wit'h one another rand caused to add amplitudes in the receiving apparatus while the disturbing influences will not be in phase and will combine in heterogeneousv phase relation and therefore increase less .rapidly with an increasing number of receiving antennae than the desired signals. As a result the stray ratio will be greatly improved.

When the receiving antennae are widely separated long transmission lines must .be employed for transmitting the received sicnaling currents to the receiving station. This involves diiiiculties inline construction to reduce the line losses to a minimum if radio frequency currents are to be transmitted. To overcome this disadvantage I may provide detectors at each of the receiving antennae and transmit the detected currents over the transmission lines to the central receiving station. As a result, the line construction may be greatly simplified and the line losses greatly reduced. In case continuous wave signals are'to be received it is desirable that the detected currents shall all he of the same frequency, and maintain a fixed phase relation. To secure this result I provide a centrally located source of current preferably at the receiving` station for controlling the operation of all of the detectors and radiate by means of this source 'a wave whiclnwill be received upon all of the receiving antennae and combined with the signaling currents received therein to produce a beat current which will' be detected by each of thedetectors in the usual way. The frequency ofthe wave radiated may be so chosen 'as to produce audible beats 4with the signaling wave to be received, or,

The novel features which I believe -to be` characteristic oi' my invention' are set forth with particularity in the appended claims;

my invention itself, however, both as to its organization and method of operation, will best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection ,with the accompanying drawing in which I have shownjdiagrammatically a simple form of' receiving system whereby my invention may be carried into effect;

As indicated in the drawing, my receiv- -i ing system comprises a plurality of widely separated antennae l, 2, 3, 4, 5, connected by individual transmission lines 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, with a central receiving station. These antennae maybe of any particular type desired, their loeationmay -be so chosen and so widely separated that the intensity and nhase relations between the desired signal ing currents and disturbing influences either of static orinterfering stations. will normally be different at the different antennae.

While I have indicated-all of the receiving antennae as being located at adistance from the receiving station, it is obvious, that if desired, one of them may be located at the receiving station. I also provide at the -receiving station a source of high frequency current 11 which is iassociated with a transmitting antenna 12 to radiate a hi h frequency wave which will be receive upon all of the receiving antennae, and combine therein with the signaling waves to produce beat currents which will .be detected by means of the individ-ual ldetectors 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 ,andthe detected current will be transmitted over the transmission lines to the receiving station. The currents transmittedover the transmission lines maybe impressed by means of intensity couplers 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22, and-phase rotators 23, 24, 25, 26 and 27 upon the receiving apparatus, which maybe of any type desired, and which is indicated inthe drawing merely by a rectangle 28. An. convenient mean's,.such for exam le as switches 29, 30, 31', --32 and-33 may e employed for selectively impressing upon the receiving apparatus the currents vreceived from any one or more of the antennae. By varying the adjustment of the hase rot'ators and intensity couplers' the desired signaling currents received upon any two or more of the antennae may be brought into phase -'or approximate phase with one another so as to add amplitudes in the receiving apparatus while the currents due to` disturbing influences will at the same time be more or less out of phase and will combine in heterogeneous phase relation and therefore increase less.l rapidly with an increasing number of receiving antennae than the desired signals. l

The apparatus indicated may be utilized for receiving in a large variety of ways. It may be found that currents received upon one of the antenna: have a much more favorable -stray ratio than the currents received upon any of the other antennae in which case the current having the more favorable'stray ratio that is, the more favorable ratio between the strength of the signaling currents and stray currents may be selected for the desired reception and this current alone impressed upon the receiving apparatus. By selectively combining the currents in two -or more different antennae in diferentways and with varying phase and intensity adjustments a combination may be obtained which gives a more favorable stray ratio, than any antennae alone and this particular combination may then be utilized for thel desired reception. By means of the apparatus indicated, the individual antennae or Lasartecombination of antennae employed for reception may be varied at will to meet .varying disturbing conditions such, for example, as

disturbances produced by thunderstorms,

vpreferred embodiment .of my invention, it

will be apparent that my invention is -by no means limited to the particular embodi- V ment described but that many modifications in 'the ari ungenient, connections and method of operating the apparatus may be made without departing from the scope vof my invention as set forth in the appended claims.

l/Vhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. The method of operating a radio receiving. system comprising a pluralit `of widely separated antennae connected), transmission lines to a central receiving station, which consists in radiating a high frequency Wave of a frequency differing from that of the signaling Waves-to be received by,aii amount sufficient to produce audible beats-with the signaling wave, detecting atv each antenna the resultant beat current received thereon, transmitting the resultant audio frequency current to the receiving station, selectively impressing upon the receiving apparatus the audio frequency currents thus transmitted, and selecting for the desired reception of signals the currents having the most favorable stray ratio.

2. The method of operating a radio ieceiving system comprising a plurality ot widely separated antenn connected by transmission lines to a central receiving station which consists-in radiating a high frequency wave of a frequency differing from that of the signaling waves to be received by an amount sufficient to produce audible beats with the signaling wave, detecting 'at each antenna the resultant beat current received thereon, transmitting the resultant audio frequency current to the receiving station, selectively impressing upon receiv-v ing apparatus the audiofrequency currents thus transmitted, adjusting the phaseof the currents impressed upon. the receiving apparatus from the different detectors so that the currents produced by desired signals will add amplitudes in the receiving apparatus and currents produced by disturbing influences will combine in heterogeneous phase relation and selecting for the desired reception o'f signals the resulting vcombination of currents having the most favorable stray ratio.

3. The'method of operating a radio receiving system comprising a plurality of widely separated antennae connected by transmission lines to a central receiving station, which consistsi in radiating a high *fre-4 quency Wave of a frequency differing from that of the signaling waves to be received, detecting at each antenna the resultant beat current received thereon, transmitting the resultant currents to the receiving station, selectively impressing upon the receiving apparatus the current thus transmitted, and

selecting for the desired reception of signals the currents having the most favorable stray ratio.'v l

4. The method of operating a radio receiving system comprising a plurality of Widely separated antennae, connected by transmission lines to a central receiving station which consists in radiating -from the tectors so that the currents produced by desired signals Will add amplitudes in the receivin apparatus and currents produced by distur ing influence Will combine in heterogeneous phase relation, and selecting for the esired reception of signals the resulting' combinationl of currents having the most favorable stray ratio.

5. The method of operating a radio re- .ceiving system comprising 'a plurality of LWidely separatedj antennae connected by transmission lines to a central receivingstation, which consists in radiating a high frequency wave, utilizing currents produced by thewave thus radiated to control the detection at each antenna of the signaling currents -'to bei received, transmitting the detected signaling currents to the receiving station, selectively impressing upon the receiving apparatus the currents thus transmitted, and selectin 'for the desired reception of signals the currents having the most favorable stray ratio. j

6. 'I 'he combination in a radio receiving system of aplurality of Widely separated receiving antennae, receiving apparatus located at a central receiving station, transmission lines connecting each of saidreceiving antennae with the receiving station, indi- 'l vidual detectors associated With each of said receiving antennae, -ineansfor radiating a liiglifrequency Wave for controlling the operation of all of said detectors, means for impressing upon the transmission lines the detectedsignaling currents received upon the receiving antennae and means for selectivelyl impressing upon the receiving 'apkparatus the currents thus transmitted, and

a `high frequency Wave of a frequency diierent from that or' the signaling Waves to be received for controlling the operation of all of said detectors to produce beat currents therein, means for impressing upon the transmission lines the detected signaling currents received upon the receiving antennae, means for impresing upon the receiving apparatus the currents thus transmitted, means for adjusting the phase of the eurrents impressed upon the receiving appara.- tus from the diierent detectors so that the currents produced 4by desired signals `Will add amplitudes in the receiving apparatus and currents produced by disturbing iniiuences Willcombine in heterogeneous phase relations', and means for selecting for 'the desired reception of signals the resulting combination of currents having the m'ost favorable stray ratio. f y

8. The combination in a radio receivin (f system'oi:` a plurality of Widely separated receiving antennae, receiving apparatus-located at a central receiving station, transmission lines connecting each of said receiving antennae With the central receiving station, means for radiating a. high frequency Wave of'a frequency differing fromv that of the signaling-Waves to be received,

detectors associated with each of said antennae for detecting the resultant beat currents received thereon, means for impressing upon the transmission lines the detected beat current, and means for Vselectively impressing upon the receiving apparatus the currents thus transmitted and selecting for the de'- sired reception of signals'the -currents hav- .ing the most favorable stray ratio.

9. The combination in a ra'dio receiving system of, a plurality of Widely separated receiving antennae, receiving apparatuslocated at a central receiving station, transmission lines connecting each ofsaid receiving antennae with the central receiving station, means for radiating a high frequency Wave of a frequency differing `from that of the signaling Waves to be received by an amountrsutiicient to produce audible beats with lthe signaling waves, detectors associated with each of said antennae for detecting the resultant beat currents received thereon, means for impressing upon the rae transmission lines the detected beat current, means for impressing upon the receiving apparatus thecurrcnts thus transmitted, means for adjusting the phase of the currents impressed upon the receiving apparatus from the different detectors so that the currents produced by desired signals will add amplitudes inthe receiving apparatus and currents produced by disturbinginuences Will combine in heterogeneous phase 10 relation and means for selecting for the desired reception of signals the resulting coinbinationof currents having the most favorable stray ratlo.

In Witness whereof, l have hereunto set 

